Fairytale Endings
by Noxius Veritas
Summary: Draco is trying to find his fairytale ending.


**Title:** Fairytale Endings  
><strong>Beta: <strong>lksnarry1  
><strong>Pairing: <strong>Harry/Draco  
><strong>Length:<strong> 10,500 words  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Slash, Dream Worlds  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Draco is trying to find his fairytale ending.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I make no claim to Harry Potter or the accompanying ideas and characters. They belong to J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and others. This is written for entertainment only. I also do not own Happy Endings by Margret Atwood.  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Many thanks to by lovely beta, who made sense of and helped clean up my very messy prose. Also, thanks to Margret Atwood, whose short story Happy Endings gave me the idea for this.

* * *

><p>It was seven years ago that Draco had met Potter, almost to the day. Standing on the pedestal at Madame Malkins, Draco had looked at the grungy little boy next to him and struck up a conversation. He would have been the first to admit that he wasn't interested in a friendship with the boy; he was merely looking for something to do other than stand silently and let Madame Malkin walk around him with a handful of pins.<p>

The other boy had known nothing about subjects which were basic knowledge, and Draco had known right away he was raised in the Muggle World. At that point, Draco had started being insufferable, but there was no reason not to be. This was a Mudblood child, and Draco had known all his life that he was miles ahead of anything this little ruffian could ever hope to be.

It wasn't until the trip on the Hogwarts Express that Draco had realized exactly who he had been so rude to. Harry Potter, the Savior of the Wizarding World. It was a shock. The Hero didn't so much as know what a Hogwarts House was.

Even if Potter _was_ more ignorant than Goyle, Draco would be willing to help him. He was much more than the stupid Mudblood Draco had mistaken him for at the robe shop. Draco had offered his hand in friendship, saying that he would teach Potter how to move in the Wizarding World. Draco had told him that he could teach Potter who to court and who to leave behind. After all, Potter had already managed to end up with a Weasley hanging onto his coattails.

Potter had refused, implying that Draco was one of the wizards he should avoid. Furious, Draco had set about making Potter's life a living hell. Not that it had been difficult. Potter had a few triggers, and every time Draco had mentioned one of them he had blown up, which had inevitably led to Potter earning himself detention.

In his first and second years, this had been enough for Draco. By his third and fourth year, he had expanded to bigger triggers for Potter to contend with. His fifth year, he had gone out of his way to ally himself with someone he knew hated Potter and would punish him terribly for telling people the truth, which Potter couldn't seem to help doing most of the time. Umbridge had been the perfect person to use for Draco torture Potter mercilessly.

It wasn't until his sixth year Draco had grown out of taunting Potter. And it wasn't so much that Draco had grown out of his hobby as that he had simply been unable to partake of it any longer. He had broken Potter's nose, but then his cursed task from the Dark Lord had taken over his life. Given the choice between letting the Dark Lord consume his life for a year or letting his Death Eaters kill Draco and his family, Draco had seen only one reasonable option.

Potter had nearly killed him that year. Even worse, Draco couldn't really blame him, because he had made himself a soldier in the War when he agreed to try and kill the Headmaster, and therefore Potter had been attacking an enemy, even if it was done without a battlefield. According to the rules of War Draco had learned as a child, Potter had done nothing wrong.

This was Draco's chance for revenge, he knew it. He had seen Potter, Granger, and Weasley being brought into the Manor from the high windows of his bedroom, and Draco knew they would call on him to identify Potter, since he had been rather—interesting—in appearance. Still, Draco wasn't sure that he wanted it. Potter was fascinating, and Draco wanted to know him, to know who he was. Draco wanted to know what kind of man could attempt to kill an enemy and feel badly when the attempt was almost successful. He wanted to know if Potter really had an awful childhood, like some of the rumors at Hogwarts had claimed.

But Draco also wanted revenge. He wanted the man who had put his father in prison and forced Draco to attempt murder to regret ever having heard the name Malfoy. This was Draco's chance for that. If he told Bellatrix the man was Potter, that he was positive of it, than Bellatrix would give Potter to the Dark Lord. Furthermore, Draco's family would be saved.

Draco inhaled deeply. He couldn't kill Dumbledore. He was weak, and he couldn't murder someone in cold blood. It seemed that it would turn out that he could not knowingly send someone else to their death in cold blood either, or at least he couldn't do it to Potter. He walked up to Bellatrix and, terrified and stumbling, told a simple lie.

As soon as Bellatrix released them all from the room, thankfully without anyone else getting to call on the Dark Lord, Draco retreated to his bedroom. He would need some time to compose himself. He wanted to get to know Potter now, and while that might not ever be possible, it meant that he would never be able to kill Potter either. And it meant he needed to rethink what he was going to do in this bloody war.

**Fairytale Endings**

Draco might have been intrigued by Potter, he but wasn't intrigued enough to save Potter more than once. He was going to capture Potter, to take him out to the woods and hope that Potter would go to the Dark Lord to save his friends. Draco still couldn't bear to take someone to the Dark Lord, knowing that whoever he had captured would be killed. Whenever he was sent on raids, Draco merely tortured a witch or wizard and then stood in the background, hoping he wouldn't be noticed. So far, it had worked quite well. The others noticed very little through their blood lust.

Potter was running up a hallway, completely alone. He looked as if he knew where he was going, and Draco hurried toward him. Draco wanted to get him quickly, so he could goad Potter into going to the Dark Lord.

"Expelliarmus," Draco whispered. Potter's wand went flying.

"Fucking shit," Potter screamed, twisting around to see Draco. Potter flew at him, attacking him. Draco stumbled back so as to avoid getting caught in Potter's flying arms and legs.

"Incarcerous!" Potter's hands were tightly bound behind him, as were his feet. "We're going on a bit of a trip, Potter."

Carefully, Draco levitated Potter's bound body behind him and into one of the many secret passages throughout the school. Most of them weren't being used, due to their lack of fame and the ease with which one could be trapped in them unawares. Still, their almost deserted nature made them prefect for smuggling bound men.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Draco shrugged at Potter's loud questions. It wasn't like anyone would hear him, not when there where thick stone walls between Potter's mouth and their ears.

"Where do you think, Potter?"

"Why would you give me to Voldemort? You saved me from him once, remember? I know you knew it was me at the Manor. So why are you being such a good little Death Eater now?" Draco shrugged again. He had no intention of telling Potter that he was going to try and get Potter to walk the last of the distance on his own. Draco couldn't watch his murder take place, even if he managed to set it all up.

"You're a bastard. You know that, right? You are cruel, and you are a coward to boot." Draco didn't reply. It was nothing that he hadn't heard before. They had reached the ground floor, and now Draco had to get Potter across an open field and into the Forbidden Forest.

"Why won't you answer me? Say something. You're more like an Inferi than a person." Draco still didn't speak. In some ways, it was nice to know it was still this easy for Draco to piss off Potter. "Just say something. At this point I don't even care what it is. This silence thing is torturing me, and you wouldn't want me to be tortured before I died, would you? On second thought, it is you, so maybe that is exactly your goal."

Draco finally turned to shut Potter up, wanting him to stop talking about torture and death. To his shock, he didn't see the bound body of Potter floating a few inches behind him in the air. Instead, Potter was free, and moving toward him.

Draco backed away, but Potter was just a second faster. He grabbed Draco's hand, and Draco grabbed over Potter's fist with his own. Draco tried to pry Potter's fingers off him, but Potter's hand was too tight. Instead, Potter grabbed his wand from Draco. Draco only just managed to hold tightly to his own wand. Quickly, he tried to cast another binding spell on Potter. They wouldn't hold, but Draco needed Potter to slow down enough for him to think of another solution.

Potter evaded the spell and returned fire before Draco had time to think. "Deprimo!"

Draco was aware of a tearing pain in his chest, of something seeming to rip him apart. It lasted only a moment. After that, he was thankfully aware of nothing.

Harry looked in amazement at Malfoy's body, laying in a bloody puddle on the ground. He had never thought the spell would do that. He had known it would injure Malfoy, perhaps badly. But to kill him, without any time to offer help. Harry took a deep breath. He had made his first direct kill, and he still had a task to do. It would require more killing, so Harry wouldn't break down about it.

Looking out at the small crowd around the altar, Harry smiled. It was _small_ crowd, made up of Harry and Ginny's closest friends. Ginny was behind the door, waiting for her cue to come out. Harry couldn't wait. He hadn't been allowed to see Ginny's dress, though he was sure she would look ravishing in white. When he had stood in the Forbidden Forest two years ago, looking at Malfoy's body and knowing he couldn't break down over it, he had never imagined this happening to him soon after. Loving Ginny hadn't ended Harry's guilt from killing Malfoy, but it had shown Harry why he had done it. There was something he was willing to kill to protect.

Harry discovered soon that his children were also something he would kill to protect. Every day, when he walked in the door from the Auror office, he saw his two sons and his daughter run over to greet him. He got to give his wife a kiss, and hear from his kids what they had done all day. Once, after a fellow Auror had been sent to St. Mungo's for curse damage, Harry had seen Lily, who had been eight at the time, give him careful consideration as he walked in the door, as if afraid that he was in some way getting injured as well. Everything the children did, even when they were misbehaving, warmed Harry. No matter what happened, he would love them more than life itself. The life Harry had was worth killing Malfoy, and it was worth the occasional guilt that clung to Harry's soul.

When Harry died, at the age of one-hundred seventeen, he had no regrets. He loved his family, and he had a worthwhile job that he had done well for many years. He wished it had not been necessary to kill Malfoy, but he had accepted long ago that he was done what was needed. There was no way Harry would have traded Malfoy's life for the life Harry had now, for his children or the peace the world held. Regrets were for people who had messed up in ways that had no good consequences, and Harry hadn't. He had learned to accept his actions, and he had accomplished what he wanted to accomplish.

**Fairytale Endings**

Draco had rescued Potter at Malfoy Manor. He hadn't intended for much to come of it; all he had demanded in returnhad been a temporary safe house for his parents.

It had been Draco's father who had suggested that Draco help Potter, strictly behind the scenes. "It will keep you away from the fighting of course, and you seem to think Potter will win this little. . . altercation." Draco had nodded. "Than it will be better to have the Malfoy name connected with the victors."

Agreeing with his father, Draco had offered his services to Potter, who had at first refused to accept his help. It had taken several days for him to agree. But in the end he had, and it had led to Draco staying in a tent in the middle of nowhere for days at the time, never seeing his parents.

Draco looked at the cloth walls around him in a fury. He had been left behind, yet again, while the Golden Trio went to look for the next object in their great hunt. Draco was mostly helping them do research and ward the tent, since he knew a few spells that not even Granger could manage. Even with the proof of Draco's loyalty protecting them every night, the Golden Trio wouldn't allow him to know exactly what they were looking for, nor was he permitted to go with them when they went to hunt the physical objects.

He had noticed the ugly, gaudy locket the trio had been taking to wear in turns. They would each ear it for about a day, and then they would pass it on to the next person. Draco didn't know why, but there had to be a reason.

"We're back." That was Harry's quiet voice. Potter had become Harry after weeks of living in a small space with him. Potter seemed to like Draco better than Granger or Weasley. He was also the only person to ever tell Draco when they were leaving for one of these hunts, or when they returned.

"Did you find it?" Draco walked into the living room to speak to them, though only Harry would listen to him.

"Yeah. We need to start looking for other artifacts of the Founders. This one is Hufflepuff's, so we're short Ravenclaw and Gryffindor." That was all the information Draco had on what the trio was looking for. They wanted the Founders' objects, and they were willing to go to extremes to get them. "I'm sorry, Draco, but we all really need some sleep. I'll tell you more about what happened tomorrow." Draco nodded as Harry went to bed, Granger and Weasley finding their ways to their own beds.

Harry told Draco what had happened on the trio's adventure, and then things had gone back to normal for several days, before anything really changed.

"Draco, you can't do that!" Draco looked at Harry, whom he had thought was safely taken with the large book he was reading. Draco had been going to touch the ugly locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin, but Harry grabbed his wrist.

"Why not? It belonged to the Founder of my House; I have more of a right to it than you or your sidekicks do." Draco tried to reach for it again, but Harry stopped him.

"It is more than just a locket, and you can get hurt. It's affecting me, and Ron and Hermione can't take it right now. That's why it's on the bed." Harry looked Draco in the eye. "I'm sure you've noticed that whoever is wearing it is more irritable. I was getting too frustrated to research."

"Why don't you let me take shifts with it? Still think I'm going to run off to return it to the Dark Lord?" The lack of trust was a sore point with Draco. If he was going to run off, he would have done it when he found out he was going to have to camp in a tent with people whom he hated.

"No, but Merlin knows I don't need you any more snarky." Harry smiled. "Though I will admit the snark is sometimes amusing. You piss off Ron at least once a day."

"It's endearing." Harry grinned, shaking his head at Draco's daring.

"No, it's annoying. You're really lucky that I like you." Draco cocked his head, looking curiously at Potter. Draco wondered if Harry liked him well enough to accept something Draco had been wanting to offer. He thought Harry just might.

Draco kissed Harry. It was that simple, really. He used his captured wrist as a lever and pulled Harry to him. Then he touched his lips to Harry's gently enough for Harry to pull away without too much trouble. Draco didn't want to force Harry into anything. Harry would be impossible to live with if that happened.

Except Harry must not mind the kiss too much, because he was responding. It was Harry, not Draco, who licked and nipped his way into Draco's mouth. And it was Harry who let go of Draco's wrist and grabbed his waist.

After their first kiss, their relationship progressed quickly. Draco was prone to think it was merely the fear they both had that they would die before they could come to regret an ill thought out romance.

They had the most amazing sex, and Harry never failed to put Draco before himself. It was easy to let Harry do as he wanted, when what Harry wanted was almost exactly the same as what Draco wanted. They were, for now, Draco thought, perfect for each other.

Draco and Harry went on for weeks as if they had only just kissed for the first time. They didn't tell Weasley and Granger about their new-found relationship, since Draco didn't want to get beaten up and Harry didn't want to spend the foreseeable future fighting with his friends. Still, Draco was quite sure Granger, at least, had noticed something was awry.

Indeed, they might have gone on pretending they were a perfect couple for the rest of the war, if it hadn't been for Draco's parents.

Draco's parents hadn't done anything wrong. They hadn't betrayed Harry's Order, nor had they tried to leave the house that Order had put aside for their use. There was no reason for someone to have taken it into their heads to go in a beat Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy past the point of being unconscious.

They would have died, if it hadn't been for Nymphadora Tonks, who came in to ask if the Malfoy's wanted curry takeaway for dinner and found them bleeding on the floor. She had called in Molly Weasley, who was a decent healer, and they patched up Draco's parents.

When they got the Patronus from Nymphadora detailing his parents' injuries, Draco had insisted that he be allowed to go check on them. They hadn't been healed to the point St. Mungo's would have managed, and they were still rather beaten up. Draco wanted to see them. Harry refused.

"You can't go. We can't leave the hunt, and you can't travel alone!"

"I don't see what the hell is stopping me, Potter. You don't trust me, I know, but do you really think I would leave my injured parents? I want to see them. And you're not going to stop me."

"You can't, Draco." Harry grabbed Draco's wrist. He looked like lightening about to strike, bright and deadly. "I'm sorry, but if you do, you can't come back."

"Who said I want to come back? If you are going to let my family be abused, I might as well go back to the Dark Lord. At least there, we were almost always permitted to fight back."

"So Voldemort encouraged you to raise your wands against him? Somehow, I just don't believe that. But if you want to go back there, you're free to do so. Just know that the Order won't be protecting you anymore. You'll be right back to being our enemies, your whole family."

"Doesn't seem like you're doing much to protect us now. I think I should leave, and take my parents with me." Harry turned his back on Draco. Furious and hurt, Draco marched his way out of the tent.

Draco didn't know where the Order had his parents, but that wasn't a problem. After their fight, Harry had turned his parents out of the safehouse and even gone so far as to send Draco an owl with their location.

The owl had said more than the location of Draco's parents. Scrawled onto the bottom of the parchment had been two words: "Good luck."

Draco hadn't been able to hide his family quite as well as he wanted to. They were difficult to find, yes, and they were out of the country. Lucius and Narcissa had actually been quite pleased with the small cottage in the French countryside. But Draco was well aware that it would only take a little concentrated effort for the Dark Lord or Harry to find them.

Therefore, he needed to make sure that the people who were less likely to do his family harm won the war. Neither army would be able to put their focus into looking for the Malfoys while they were fighting, but both groups would remember the family after the war. That was when they would go looking for the Malfoys, and they would find them quickly.

It was the addition to Harry's owl that had made Draco's decision for him. "Good luck." Harry still felt something for Draco, even if it was just the goodwill they had amassed while camping together for months. If Harry was still fond of Draco, then there was a good chance he would protect Draco's family if he won the war. Especially if it was discovered that Draco had still, quietly, helped Harry's war effort.

Draco donned the black robes and the white mask he had stolen from a dead Death Eater.

Despite having known the risk, Draco was still taken aback by the fierceness with which Harry's Order battled. They wanted to kill the Death Eaters and, it seemed to Draco, they wanted to rip the bodies to bits after they finished.

Draco could see Harry, standing tall in the middle of the fight. He was casting spells and only paying the minimum of attention to how they landed on their targets. Unsurprised with the nature of Harry's fighting, Draco tried to duck closer to him. There would be loads of protection for Draco's family if he personally protected Harry's life. Draco was almost positive Harry would defend him without the added reasoning, but it would be a good plan to have a little added insurance.

Draco's knowledge of exactly when Harry saw him was absolute. So was Draco's awareness that Harry didn't recognize him. How would he? Draco looked the part of a Death Eater quite thoroughly, since he had needed to look like a member of one side of the war lest he be cursed by both. It was far more difficult to impersonate a member of the Order, all of whom knew each other well.

Harry treated Draco just as he would an enemy. He cursed him, quickly and without mercy. Draco wasn't sure what it was Harry had used, but he knew it hadn't been the Killing Curse. He hadn't died quickly or painlessly enough for that. Everything hurt, but only for a moment. Then Draco fell.

Harry knew who he had killed as soon as the robed figure fell. There was no mistaking the Malfoy blond hair, and nor was there anyway to impersonate the graceful sprawl of Draco's limbs. It couldn't be anyone but Draco.

Ron and Hermione had been amazed to hear about Harry's kill, and they weren't particularly bothered by it. What did bother them was Harry's announcement. He was never going to use aggressive magic again. For that matter, he wasn't going to ever attack anyone in any way again.

Harry had never intended for Draco to die in this war. He had thought Draco would run, along with his family, and hide out in France or another country until the fighting was over and Harry could hunt him down to apologize. They might never get together again, but Harry wouldn't have to feel so badly about the things he had said to Draco, who had only wanted to check on his family.

Harry had certainly never intended to kill Draco. And Harry never intended to feel this soul-deep guilt and hatred again. Therefore, he wouldn't attack anyone. He wouldn't kill anyone. He would try his best to live a life that he could be proud of, excluding this one, massive, unforgivable mistake.

It hadn't taken long for the message to get through the ranks of the Dark Lord. Harry Potter was no longer fighting, and there were rumors that he never intended to fight again. Rudolphus Lestrange saw this as his chance. His wife had gotten all the attention of the Dark Lord, and Rudolphus was jealous of her. If he killed Harry Potter, the Dark Lord would surely point a grateful finger to him.

Rudolphus hadn't needed to work for long to seize an opportunity to kill the Boy-Who-Lived. A quiet grab on the edge of Diagon Alley on a busy day just before the start of the school term, when everyone was so busy trying to get their children ready for term they didn't look beyond their own noses, and Harry Potter was at Rudolphus's mercy.

Just as the rumors had hinted, Harry Potter didn't attempt to fight off Rudolphus. Potter stood, looking carefully over his surroundings. He was going to flee if he was given the chance, but he wasn't going to curse his way out of the problem. As a precaution, Rudolphus summoned the young man's wand.

"You are my ticket to a new world of power, Potter." Potter just smiled.

"I'm glad to know you have a reason for all this, then. I'm assuming you want to kill me?" Still Potter looked over Rudolphus's shoulder. He was hoping to see someone he could call on for help, Rudolphus was sure. It would be better to kill him before he got anyone's attention.

"Yes." Rudolphus pointed his wand carefully at Potter. "Avada Kedavra."

**Fairytale Endings**

Draco had been fucking Harry for weeks before he realized that they were doing more than fucking. In fact, he didn't notice the difference until his parents were injured.

"I'm going to see them."

"You can't. I can't leave the hunt and you can't travel alone!" Draco snorted.

"And you've never broken a rule. Don't tell me you wouldn't go wherever you had to, to ensure your family was safe, Potter." That had been enough to freeze Harry where he stood.

"Your parents are fine, Draco. Tonks is staying with them day and night, and she's already said they are well on their way to recovery. What more are you going to be able to do?" Draco scowled at Harry's foolishness.

Harry stared at Draco for a few silent moments. Hopefully he was getting it into his head that Draco wasn't going to give in. Apparently he did. "Let me talk to Ron and Hermione so I can find camp again. Then we'll go for the afternoon." Draco smiled at Harry.

So Harry liked him. Draco was well aware that Harry wouldn't do something as extreme as leaving this hunt for someone he didn't like.

Draco's parents had been healing well, just as Harry had sworn, but it had done Draco good to see them. He hadn't heard from them directly since before he had left on his trip with Potter and the others.

Draco's confrontation had done even more good for his relationship with Harry. He had a reassurance that Harry cared for him, though he wasn't sure how much. Draco had never before considered how important he found that.

The final battle was upon them, and Draco could see Harry's tension growing. He knew of one way to manage that.

"Come on, Harry. Let's relax for a few minutes." Draco smiled coyly and Harry's unsure look.

"I need to work this out. I know that the stupid Ravenclaw artifact is in Hogwarts, but I don't know where it could be. Fuck!" Draco rolled his eyes.

"Thinking about it when you are so stressed you can't see your hand before your face isn't going to help you. Entertain me instead." Draco tried another smile, this time shifting Harry's attention to him by turning Harry's face with his hand.

"You are a selfish bastard, has anyone ever told you that?" Harry looked at Draco as if he were the sun.

"I might have heard it. And you are very attractive when you are so distracted you can't see straight. I doubt anyone will have told you that." Draco kissed Harry's cheekbone.

"I have to admit no one has."

Harry won the war, just as Draco had been saying would happen for months. It certainly made Draco relieved he had chosen to change his family's allegiance, since they were now looked upon, thanks to Harry, as a leading force in the victory of good.

Still, Draco's life wasn't all sunshine and roses. He was guilty, guilty enough that it was wearing on his day to day life. He was the only son of his parents, the last of the Malfoy name. And here he was, running around with a half-blood man as if he had no responsibility to the family that made his strong. Draco persisted in the selfish pursuit, too happy with his victory and his partner to want a change, even if it was better for his family.

Draco's parents loved him, just as he loved them, but they never failed to remind him of who he was and who he was letting down. One afternoon, when Draco had come over for dinner, Narcissa took Draco aside.

"Love, I know you are fond of your relationship with the Potter man, and I know that he is fond of you, but this must stop. We can't allow our family to die out just because we find ourselves loving a person who doesn't align with our family's needs." Draco froze. He had never said he loved Harry, any more than he had ever said Harry loved him. He had never even thought it.

"I know. I don't plan on letting this continue forever."

"You don't have to give him up, Draco. You can marry, have the children you need, and then keep Mr. Potter on the side. Or you can even divorce the girl after, and take him back. You don't have to promise to be miserable forever." Draco stared at his mother in shock.

"I will with Harry, Mother. He won't take me back, not if I leave him just to fulfill a system Harry thinks is broken. And he certainly would never content himself to be my secret, or my sex on the side."

Draco had left his parents' house that night with a head full of unhappy thoughts.

Draco watched Harry bounce around the room happily. Draco grimaced. This was going to be a short-lived pleasure, and it was going to make the eventual fall so much harder. But Draco couldn't help it. He sat and had dinner with Harry, and he let himself enjoy the evening.

After dinner came the painful part. "Harry, you know who I am." Harry nodded, looking a little confused. Draco smiled sadly.

"My family requires certain things of me, and my parents are getting impatient." Harry frowned, clearly seeing where the conversation was heading.

"You're going to do it, aren't you? Get married and have the perfect pure-blood family to please your parents."

"I won't stay with her, and she won't expect me to, whoever she ends up being. We'll only have to be together until I have a couple of kids, and then we can get divorced." Draco knew perfectly well Harry wouldn't accept that. If their situation was reversed, Draco would never entertain it either.

"I won't stay with you if you are marrying someone else. I'm not going to be used, or let someone else be used, so callously." Draco nodded miserably.

"I knew that from the start." No matter how upset he was, Draco kept his head up. He had nothing to be ashamed of; he was doing what he should in order to keep his family strong. He had worked too long and hard for his family to let the name die out with him.

"We've reached our impasse, then. You aren't going to change your mind, and I'm not going to stay with you if you do this." Harry looked at the floor. _As well he should, trying to make me choose between him and my family._ Draco left the thought behind quickly. He hadn't expected anything else, and Harry had the right to call off their relationship over this. Draco didn't think it was something he could have done, but he would accept Harry's decision without turning to anger. There wasn't much Draco could do to ease their parting, but he could do this much.

"I'm sorry, if it changes anything." Draco didn't sound sorry, of course. His voice was strong and his eyes were clear; there was no hint of guilt anywhere on him.

Harry smiled sadly. Draco knew he could see the honesty in Draco, even if it was well hidden. "It doesn't make much difference though, does it?" Draco shrugged.

"Doesn't seem to, no." Harry stood from the seat he had taken on the chaise, walking over to where Draco stood. He brushed a kiss to Draco's cheekbone, and Draco turned his head to kiss Harry.

"I adore you," Draco whispered it too quietly for Harry to hear, not wanting to sound desperate or defeated. Then he broke the kiss.

Draco walked out the door of their flat quickly, and he Apparated to his childhood bedroom before anyone could see him cry.

The wedding was lovely, just as Draco's mother had planned it to be. There were enough flowers to decorate the entirety of London, and Draco's bride, Astoria Greengrass, was beautiful in her white robes. Not that Draco really cared. He was already thinking about the torture that was to come in his marriage bed.

Draco watched Harry get married in the society pages. It was all too clear that he didn't really love the Weasley woman, and it was just as obvious that she didn't love him either. They seemed to be matched for much the same reasons as Draco and Astoria, though Draco knew there had to be something different about their relationship. Harry had been utterly truthful when he said he hated people using each other.

It drove Draco crazy, actually. He didn't know what made Harry marry Ginny Weasley when they didn't love each other. He assumed that Harry must have done it to help her in some way, but Draco was damned if he had any idea of how.

Draco smiled quietly. There wasn't much he found himself smiling for, but his son, grinning in triumph was something that could cheer him.

"Did you see me, Father?" Scorpius danced away from the mats where he had been practicing his sword play. "I was brilliant, right?" Draco touched Scorpius gently on the shoulder.

"You were perfect, Scorpius. I think soon you might be a match for me." Childish giggles filled the room.

"You aren't allowed to fight me, Father. You would beat me." Draco laughed, but he couldn't help but turn away for a moment. Sometimes, he wished he hadn't raised his son to be so much like himself. He was always afraid that his little boy would share his fate.

Draco couldn't say that he had looked forward to sending Scorpius off to school, and his hesitance was not all due to his unwillingness to go without seeing his son for months on end. For years, Draco had avoided anything that could lead to him being forced to spend any time with Harry Potter. There was no way around it though, Harry was going to be at King's Cross, sending his own sons to school.

Draco had to admit a little curiosity. He had never seen Harry's children, other than the few pictures that had been run by the press. He wanted to see what Harry's children were like, and he wanted to know if Harry really did love his wife. He would have a chance to observe, in between the hugs and love he would give his own child.

Astoria came with them to the station. She was never as close to Scorpius as Draco was, though she was still a wonderful mother to the boy. There was little Draco was thankful for in his marriage, but Astoria's love of their son was one of the things Draco was thrilled with. She was distant, but she never failed to help if Scorpius asked, and she was careful to do nothing that would upset Scorpius unnecessarily.

Harry stood near the train, his children all gathered around for goodbyes. His eldest son, the one that looked like a Weasley, was swift. A hug for his mother, and clap on the back from his father, and a kiss of the forehead for his sister and he was off. He jogged across the station, waving and calling out to his friends.

Draco turned away from the Potter's quickly. "Have a good year, Scorpius. Write us as soon as you get to your dorms tonight, and tell us how the Sorting went, yes? We didn't get you an owl for it to sit as a decoration in your room." Scorpius grinned.

"I will." He stepped closer to Draco to receive a hug.

"No matter where you end up, behave in a way that befits a Malfoy. No running amok as if you were incapable of grace."

"I know, Mother." Scorpius took a deep breath. "I will see you for Christmas break and bring back an assessment of what I think about my classes."

"Do so." Draco knew his voice was amused, but he didn't mind. His son's carefully formal voice reminded him of his first year at school. He had been so formal, trying to show his father he was able to be the adult and manage himself. Scorpius was doing the same, of course. "Also remember we love you, and send us a letter if you have any problems."

Scorpius nodded before taking a step back. With another deep nod and a careful look at both his parents, Scorpius turned around.

As soon as his son wasn't looking at him, Draco turned his attention back to Harry. Seeing Harry staring at him, Draco offered a deep nod. Harry nodded back.

Harry's middle son looked exactly like him. He was standing near his father, and Draco remembered seeing Harry kneeling and talking to the boy while Draco was speaking to Scorpius. Draco assumed he had some kind of insecurities, and Harry had been soothing them.

Draco paid more attention to Harry. He looked healthy, though he also looked a little worn. As if his life was more work than he had really expected it to be. He also looked content. That was all. He didn't look excited about his life, or eager to meet the next challenge. He just looked content. Draco didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Draco wondered if he looked the same. If he looked like he was accepting his life, happy but not fully engaged. His life was good enough. He had his son, and he loved the boy with everything he had. But he didn't love his wife, and he still sometimes thought about Harry. He dreamed of the nights when Harry had fucked him. The memory of him leaving Harry became the nightmare he had when teaching Scorpius family duty and honor. He had been so careful, trying to show Scorpius that it was important to honor his family but that he shouldn't give up his life for the success of his name.

Draco knew that was what he had done. He had given up on the life he could have had, happy and challenged with Harry, for the safety of his family name. He regretted it, in a way. He would do almost anything to have Harry back. At the same time, he wouldn't give up his son for anything. Not even Harry.

Draco sighed. He had decided to give up on the idea of having a romance a long time ago. He had his son, and that would have to be enough. When he wasn't so maudlin, his son _was_ enough. This was the life he had chosen, and he had known the consequences when he decided. Now he just had to live it, and hope his son didn't make the same mistakes he did.

**Fairytale Endings**

Draco smiled. Harry was looking like he would have never expected this, and he thought it might be taken from him at any moment.

"You mean this? You really think this could work?" Draco nodded.

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought it hopeless." This wasn't the first time Draco had seen this look on Harry's face, but he still loved it. Harry's mouth was slightly open and his eyes were wide behind his glasses. It was the same look Harry had when Draco had told him that Draco had no intention of breaking off their relationship after the war. It had also been the look he wore when Draco had easily asked if Harry would like to live with him.

"Any child we have wouldn't be a Malfoy by blood," Harry almost looked guilty, and Draco knew why. Draco had fought with his parents about the fact he and Harry wouldn't be having any children together, and he had been adamant that he wasn't going to leave Harry or sleep with someone else to have a child.

Draco had fought his parents for his right not to have children, and he had given up on ever having children, but Draco had always felt a little guilty over it. He had been willing to give up so much for his family in the war, and now that the fighting was over, he wasn't willing to continue the family name. Harry knew of his guilt and his desire for a son, and it had eaten at Harry that he couldn't get Draco what he wanted, even if Harry never mentioned it.

"That isn't all that important. It wouldn't be the first time the heir of the family was adopted, though I'll give you that it is usually due to the original heir dying." Draco's smile broadened. "And I'm not only interested in this child for the Malfoy bloodline, you know. If that was the case, I would tell my mother to adopt someone and save me the trouble."

Harry laughed, a bright, cheerful sound. "I'm sure you would. So, we just have to go in and meet the children?"

"There is a little more to the process than that, Harry. For one, they don't just hand children over to people because they ask if they can have one. And, we have to decide if there are limitations on the child we are willing to accept, and we have to find a room to give them."

"We don't need a room until we at least know the age of the kid. I doubt a ten year old would want the same room I would give an infant, for one." Draco nodded his agreement. "And I don't see why we need to limit what children we will see."

"There are plenty of ways. For one, I think we should limit the search to magical children." Seeing Harry's rebellious look, Draco shook his head. "This isn't coming from anything about blood purity, Harry. I don't care if the kid is a Muggleborn, but it would be hard for a Muggle or Squib child to live in a household with the two of us. We use magic all the time, and they would feel. . ." Draco let himself fall silent. Harry knew all too well what it was like to be the odd one out in a house, and he wouldn't want to put that stress on a child.

"So anyone with magic. Do we have to talk to the people? When do we go?"

At the end of the war, Draco had thought that he was going to loose Harry. He couldn't see him for much of the Final Battle, and after the fighting, Harry had spent a fair amount of time healing from the effects of allowing the Killing Curse to hit him. He had been prone to splitting migraines. One had been so bad it had left him beaten and bruised one day when the pain hit in the middle of a duel in Auror training and his partner didn't realize he was distracted until he was unconscious.

Draco had known, when Harry made Auror, that one of those blasted headaches would hit during a chase or wand fight and the suspect would kill Harry. Eventually a group of healers had figured out a combination of potions that kept the pain at bay, and Draco had relaxed a little. Even so, the worry that Harry wouldn't come home one night never quite left him, a hallmark of the days when more Aurors died every month than lived.

Draco's reaction to his constant fear for Harry's survival had been to cling to him, tightly, when he was close enough to cling to. Draco would spontaneously tell Harry that he wanted to stay home all night instead of keep their plans with the Weasleys or his parents, and Harry would often complain of being stifled. Still, he had allowed Draco's worry to abate slowly, something Draco was thankful for.

The interview had gone well, despite the faint reservations of the woman speaking to them. Draco assumed it had to do with his name, and he simply ignored the careful notes and suspicious looks she gave him.

She might have been suspicious, but she must have given a good review to her superior, because Draco had gotten a Floo call the next day. It was an invitation to speak to the head of the orphanage, and to maybe meet some of the children.

It had been far, far quicker than Draco had expected, but he had agreed. Harry could ask off for the day, and the Ministry would have to agree. After all, Harry had logged hours of personal time, and they owed him something.

Harry had agreed in an instant, and he was careful to make sure his request for time off went straight to Robards without getting held up by the slow secretary that worked for the man.

"So, I hear you are wanting to adopt a child, and that, so long as the child has magic, you have no preferences about age and so on." The gentleman sitting behind the desk was slightly older, maybe in his late forties, and he smiled quietly at Draco and Harry.

"You heard correctly." Draco was the one to answer, but it was Harry the man was staring at. Draco was used to that, and to tell the truth it didn't bother him. People's focus on Harry gave Draco time to do whatever he wanted without being caught.

"Why now?"

"I've known I wanted a kid forever," Harry's answer was less polished, as his always were, but there was so much longing in his voice that people understood what he meant without the pretty turns of phrase.

"And you, Mr. Malfoy?"

"I've always pictured a family in my future as well." Draco knew he lacked the emotional connection Harry had with people, but that didn't matter. He could fake it when he needed to, and logic was usually enough to get him what he desired in any case.

"I don't really have any questions for you," the director smiled again, looking completely at ease with them and his task. "I just wanted to meet you and make sure you weren't insane or anything. We can go upstairs now if you would like."

The way Harry was halfway out of his seat made Draco think he was going to bounce his way up the flight of stairs. "I think we would appreciate that, thank you."

The children were occupied with a variety of tasks; most of the older ones were studying while the younger ones were having quiet play time.

The room they were in was large, and there was no shortage of furniture of varying sizes or of toys and papers. Draco gave half of his attention to the room and children and devoted the other half to Harry.

Harry turned to the man walking beside them. "Will it be alright if we talk to them for a little while?"

The man nodded. "Some of them are shy of course, but many will be happy to talk to you." He looked over the children calmly. "Even those that won't talk will most likely be pleased to listen." Harry grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him into the thick of the children.

Zeroing in immediately on a small blonde girl, Harry easily gestured for Draco to take the lead. Draco raised an eyebrow at Harry's lack of initiative before as he was asked. "Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy. This is Harry, and for some reason I am unaware of, he will not speak first today, but I think he wants to greet you."

The girl giggled as she put down her pencil and turned around. "I'm Kathleen." She stood to dip a curtsey.

She looked to be about nine years old, and Draco noticed that her eyes were a very dark blue as she looked up at him. "What were you working on there, Kathleen?"

"Just my German. It's really boring." Kathleen shrugged.

"You're learning German? That's really cool." The girl smiled at Harry, who had just spoken to her for the first time.

"Some of the other girls are learning French, but German sounds nicer. You always sound like you are saying something important." Draco laughed. It was the first time he had ever heard someone say they thought German sounded nicer than French. Still, the girl had a point.

"I studied Latin when I was small, as well as German. Can I see what you're doing?" Draco was only telling the truth. His father had wanted him to attend Durmstrang, and he had taught Draco German in case he got his way. Draco didn't think Lucius had much hope of getting Draco into the foreign school, even at that early date, but he still prepared Draco for a German institution. Lucius had ever been good at wishful thinking.

"Sure," Kathleen passed Draco her parchment. He was glad to see her handwriting was neat, in spite of the old quill she had used to make the letters.

Her responses to most of the questions was perfectly spot on, and Draco only saw one that looked like it had been written by someone who didn't understand the question. Draco knelt by the girl's desk as Harry watched. "Read me this question. Then tell me what it says in English."

Draco had made his voice gentle. Still the girl shuddered as she said, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know what it means." She looked at the floor. Draco looked carefully at her.

"Hey," Draco waited for her to look back up at him, "you don't look down. Keep your head up and your eyes open. That's how you learn things." She nodded. "Now, read me this. Don't worry about the English, just read it in German."

She did as she was told. Quietly, she read the question in an accent which was close to perfect. She wouldn't be mistaken as a native speaker, but she would be understood by anyone who spoke to her. "Good job." Draco smiled lightly at her, and she grinned back. "Now, what does the first word mean?"

Draco could feel Harry watching as Kathleen and Draco slowly went over each word in the question, with Kathleen translating the ones she could and Draco explaining the two words that she didn't know.

By the end of ten minutes, she was picking up her quill to change her answer to the question with a grateful look to Draco.

"While you work on that, Kathleen, we're going to talk to everyone else. We'll come back and see you again before we leave, okay?"

Kathleen absently nodded, asking, "Will you look over all this again, too, Mr. Malfoy?" Draco agreed and they were off.

"You are talking to the next one, Harry. I did my part for this expedition." Harry grinned broadly.

"You were brilliant with her, and you know it. Don't pretend anything else."

A few weeks later, Kathleen had come to their flat, and there was a mountain of parchment work to go through to get the adoption settled. Harry was thrilled, and Draco thought he was going to empty a Gringotts vault with his excited shopping for Kathleen's arrival. Draco had to stop Harry from getting the room ready for her, saying that she might want to choose her own things.

The day the papers finally went through, the three of them had a dinner to celebrate. Draco brought home a cake from the bakery in Diagon Alley, and Harry gave Kathleen the necklace they had gotten made for her, a chain bearing a pendant with her new initials on it.

Kathleen was in Hogwarts before Harry and Draco adopted another child. Harry was missing Kathleen, and so when they got a call that there was a baby in the orphanage that was in desperate need of a home, and the orphanage was out of beds, Harry had given Draco a look that he just couldn't refuse.

Admittedly, it took only a couple of nights of being woken by Philip's screams to wake him before he figured out how to refuse his lover. The two-year-old seemed to have nightmares, and he seemed to cry and scream for hours after he woke from one. Still, all it took was a tired smile from Harry for Draco to remember why he had done it. And truth be told, he had missed their daughter a little during the past few years as well.

The first night Philip slept the entire night through, Draco had prayed in thanksgiving.

The first week Philip slept every night though, Draco had gone and bought a new piece of jewelry. Philip was still too young to wear it, but Draco placed it carefully in a box and placed the box on a shelf. "His fifth birthday," Draco had told Harry.

Harry had just smiled.

Philip's fifth birthday had been a production. They had celebrated Kathleen's birthday a mere two weeks before, having put the dinner off until she returned home from Hogwarts, and it had been a small affair. Kathleen had turned fourteen, and she insisted she was too old for the huge parties every year. Instead she had invited a couple of her friends to stay the weekend with her and they had a family dinner on Sunday, complete with cake and presents.

Philip liked the party, with everyone in his play group invited to join them for cake and ice cream. Draco had a table set up for the gifts, and in the center was a small box.

Philip had been far less excited about the small ring Draco and Harry gave him than the large set of paints and pencils that they had also gotten, but Kathleen gasped when she saw it.

"May I see that, Philip?" Philip handed the ring to Kathleen with nary a word, instead going to Harry to insist the paints be opened so he could see the colors. Harry settled into making Philip open each of his other gifts and thank each of the gift givers while Draco stood beside their daughter.

"It matches my necklace." Draco nodded, holding out his arm for her to look at.

"They were both modeled to look similar to this." Kathleen had seen the rings both Harry and Draco wore around their fingers, but she had never once asked to examine them. Draco had always figured she thought they were normal wedding bands. They were, with one small addition. Engraved on each was the owner's full, married initials.

Harry flopped onto the couch, something Draco had been trying to break him of for years. All that had happened was that Harry laughed and, over the years, passed the awful habit on to their son. Draco glared at Harry, leading to a burst of laughter from him.

"We are not taking in another orphan this time. Three in the house is plenty, Harry." Harry smiled quietly.

"I'm going to miss having him around the house, though." Draco nodded.

"On the upside though, we now have our own space again." Draco slid over where Harry was laying. He kissed Harry, slowly and thoroughly. When he stopped, he only moved his lips a fraction of a centimeter away from Harry's lips.

"It is nice, though, to get to do this," Draco nipped at Harry's bottom lip, "without worrying about a disgusted noise interrupting us halfway through." Harry laughed, a low noise that was almost a moan.

"How long has it been since we made love without a locked door?"

"Far too long."

Philip took ages to come off the train. While they waited for the goodbyes and hellos to be finished between Philip and his friends, Harry and Draco smiled and talked.

"We've had an interesting time of it, haven't we?" Harry looked slightly confused.

"Of what? I haven't done anything that should get me a talking to recently." Draco laughed, and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Philip glanced over as if checking on them.

"Of life, Harry." Draco waited a second. "Your fake confusion could use some work though; don't think we won't be discussing that." Harry rolled his eyes, but he also nodded his head.

"I suppose we have. It's been good, in any case." Draco lightly tapped Harry's shoulder with his fist.

"Better than good, I would think." Harry looked over at Draco before kissing him. Draco grabbed Harry's hand, thrilled with the way he had broken his husband's composure. It was rare that Harry chose to induce public displays of affection, since he knew that Draco didn't like for them to look undignified for the press.

"Bloody brilliant. Come on, we need to get Philip. Kathleen is coming over tonight to interrogate her brother about his first year of school."

**Fairytale Endings**

The dungeons of the Manor are incredibly dark as Draco walks through them. There is nothing of the comfort Draco usually associates with his home in here, and Draco can feel his shoulders trying to hunch before he forces them up, straight and proud.

In all the situations his admittedly over zealous imagination has created, there is only one dream that has anything like a fairytale ending. For the most part, Draco resigns himself to the idea that he is unlikely to get a happily ever after.

The cell door creaks slightly as Draco opens it out, and Draco smirks slightly. His family always had enjoyed the dramatic touches, and this door that added sound effects to the ambiance.

Inside, standing ready for battle, are Potter and Weasley. Potter's fists are clutched at his sides, while Weasley's are up and ready. Draco is sure that, if given half a chance, Weasley will attack him. Draco makes it a point to ignore the redhead's threats of violence completely.

Draco swallows hard, carefully keeping Potter from noticing the slip in his control. He grabs Potter's wrist, jerking lightly at his captive. "Come, Potter. We need to talk for a moment, and I want some privacy."

Weasley approaches Draco, and Draco has his wand pointed at Weasley in less than a second. He won't point the wand at Potter, not when the faint vision of a girl and a boy, each with a carefully designed piece of jewelry, still linger in the back of his mind.

"Stand back, Weasley. I swear on my honor and my magic I will do nought to harm Potter. I merely want to speak with him." Draco isn't sure that Weasley will believe his oath, actually he is quite sure of the opposite, but he doesn't care. It is more aimed at comforting Potter, whose tense worry Draco can feel in Potter's arm, than at pleasing Weasley.

Weasley doesn't relax at all. Nor does Potter. Draco sighs and points his wand at Weasley's feet. "I am going to cast a spell. In case neither of you recognize it, it will be a mere Silencing Spell. Weasley won't be able to enter it's parameters, but Potter will be able to leave. If I do anything at all threatening, Potter can retreat to your protecting embrace, Weasley." Weasley doesn't react to the implication, instead furrowing his eyebrows.

"It might be a good idea to talk to him, Ron. He might know something, and maybe he is even willing to tell us." Draco has no idea what is giving Potter the idea that Draco is going to help his cause, but Draco is glad of it. It means that maybe, just maybe, Potter will let this conversation go somewhere.

Draco has no idea if Potter is willing to let them try anything together, even something so simple as a tentative alliance for the sake of the war. Draco has no idea if they will ever be able to make something work together, even if Potter is willing to try. But what Draco does know is that he is willing to put a lot of effort into this, whatever it might turn out to be.

Quickly Draco proceeds to explain his idea to get them all out of Malfoy Manor to Potter, along with Draco's requirement that his parents be cared for. He speaks quickly: in short, choppy sentences. He needs Potter to understand all of this, to see that Draco really does want to help.

Draco finishes his speech and tries not to hold his breath. This is the moment of reckoning, when Potter will either accept Draco's help and let Draco try to forge something with him or send Draco packing. Draco hates to admit it, but he has no idea what Potter will do. All he can do is wait and hope for that fourth possibility, that faint hope that Potter will let Draco help.

Potter holds out his empty hand to Draco.


End file.
